5 January 2007 LostCousins Newsletter
Newsletter - January 2007
CONTENTS
* Lesley gets a cousin for Christmas!
* 1911 bonanza for National Archives?
* Chemicals in food - 1820 scandal
To visit the main LostCousins site please go to www.LostCousins.com
Now that we've had a chance to tally up the numbers, we're delighted to announce that - thanks to your efforts - we were able to find nearly 4 times as many 'lost cousins' in 2006 as in 2005!
In most cases the matches involved one new member and one existing member - the growth of the LostCousins community clearly has made an enormous difference.
Although you probably don't need any further incentive to help us spread the good news about LostCousins, we're offering one anyway - a free 3 month upgrade (see the article below).
To log-in at LostCousins go to: http://www.LostCousins.com
Your user name is your email address.
If you don't know your password you can request an instant email reminder by clicking the link below:
http://www.lostcousins.com/pages/login/forgotten.mhtml
LESLEY GETS A COUSIN FOR CHRISTMAS!
Lesley in Sussex had a surprise present this Christmas! Here's what she told us:
"I just want to thank you for such a wonderful concept and a great website. Thanks to LostCousins I made contact with an unknown distant cousin in Australia on Christmas Day, and we have exchanged some fascinating information and photos.
"The concept is such a good idea - it's exciting to have the possibility of being put in touch with distant relatives. The way it works makes it safe to make contact and I'd like to thank you for making it possible."
Thousands of 'lost cousins' have been discovered so far, but if you aren't one of the lucky members, why not ask for our advice? In most cases we'll be able to make suggestions that will double or even triple your chances of success!
Good news - we've further speeded up the entry of relatives on your My Ancestors page, especially when you're entering a complete household, or adding new names to an existing household.
Remember, every relative you enter represents an extra chance to find a 'lost cousin'!
In the United States censuses as recent as 1930 are publicly available. Here in Britain the information is closed for 100 years - even such basic information as name, age, and address.
Whilst you can now access the 1911 Census information under the Freedom of Information Act - at a price - the same arrangements cannot apply to future censuses because they are covered by different legislation.
If you believe that census information should be made available earlier, and are a British citizen or resident, why not make your views known to the Prime Minister by signing the online petition at:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/CensusInfoFreed/
To date around 5000 people have signed - so if even a fraction of the LostCousins members reading this were to join them it would be a phenomenal boost to the numbers!
[Thanks to Sue in Coventry and Susan in Gloucester for drawing this to our attention.]
1911 BONANZA FOR NATIONAL ARCHIVES?
At 45 pounds for each household, the National Archives could make a fortune from researchers desperate to find out vital information about their ancestors from the 1911 Census. Let's hope that they use the windfall to make more resources available online.
If you are considering requesting information from the 1911 Census of England & Wales under the Freedom of Information Act, we'd suggest you check out http://www.1911census.info for the latest news and tips.
You could get a free 3 month upgrade to subscriber status merely by recruiting 3 new members!
Just use your My Referrals page to tell friends and relatives about LostCousins. Provided at least 3 of them register and log-in between 5th and 28th January you'll be upgraded to subscriber status for the whole of February, March, and April.
ALTERNATIVELY, simply include your personal link in emails that you send out, or in postings on forums. You'll find your personal link on your My Summary page.
If you do it this way it's a little easier for you - but rather more difficult for us, so when you choose this option the target is a little higher: 5 people registering and logging-in between 5th-28th January.
Of course, the new members you recruit can also take advantage of this offer - so the sooner you let them know, the better.
A while back we wrote about the calendar change that took place in Britain in 1752, when Wednesday 2nd September was followed by Thursday 14th September. This coincided with a change in the start of the year from March 25th to January 1st.
But what we didn't explain was that in other countries the calendar changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar at other times. For example, in much of Europe the change took place in 1582.
In Belgium (then the Southern Netherlands, and ruled by Spain) there was no Christmas Day in 1582, 21st December being followed by 1st January 1583.
Parts of Canada settled by the French used the Gregorian calendar, then reverted to the old Julian calendar when the British took control - only to change back again in 1752.
In America the change occurred in 1752 in the British colonies, but in 1582 in Florida and California.
Fortunately there's a website where you can find out the dates of calendar changes around the world - and even download a free calendar program that produces calendars for virtually any year and any country:
http://homepages.tesco.net/~jk.calisto/calisto/calendars/change_dates_jg.htm
CHEMICALS IN FOOD - 1820 SCANDAL
We usually think of food additives as an unwanted modern invention, but a book written in 1820 by a German chemist details scandalous behaviour by London's bakers, brewers, and confectioners.
Bakers would add alum and chalk to their flour to make the bread whiter, and plaster and sawdust to make the loaves heavier - which considering that a loaf of bread cost a quarter of the average daily wage seems mean as well as unsavoury.
To save money on hops, brewers would add chemicals like strychnine - a poison - to make their beer bitter, whilst confectioners used lead, copper, or mercury salts to create brightly colour sweets that would be appealing to children.
AND FINALLY.....
After our last newsletter we had a lovely email from Ian in Canada:
"I just read your latest newsletter - that by itself says quite as lot, for it's the only newsletter of the many I currently receive that I can actually say that about - and I both thoroughly enjoyed my read and learned a few new things.
"That's a simple but potent combination and I hope you stick to it! I just wanted to pass on my thanks!"
We also heard from several members who found relatives in the Quebec Ships' Passenger Lists - so thanks again to Vickie who provided the information for the article, and is secretary of the Nanaimo FHS (whose volunteers are transcribing the lists).
We put a lot of work into preparing each newsletter and we try to ensure that there's something for everyone - but we couldn't do it without your help and encouragement!
The LostCousins Team
http://www.LostCousins.com
info@LostCousins.com
© Copyright 2007 Peter Calver & Lost Cousins Ltd
Please do NOT copy or republish any part of this newsletter without permission - which is only granted in the most exceptional circumstances. However, you MAY link to this newsletter or any article in it without asking for permission - though why not invite other family historians to join LostCousins instead, since standard membership (which includes the newsletter), is FREE?